Our role and remit
The JAC selects candidates for judicial office. We do so on merit, through fair and open competition, from the widest range of eligible candidates.
The appointment process remains underpinned by the principle of selection on merit. Once appointed, judges have security of position, a principle on which judicial independence rests. This means the decision to appoint a judicial office holder must be the right one in every case.
Merit remains the bedrock of judicial appointments. But we are committed to ensuring that meritorious candidates are secured from a much wider field. By encouraging more, eligible people to apply we are contributing to building an effective and impartial judiciary.
Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 we have very specific duties in the selection of judges and tribunal members, both legal and non-legal. Our statutory responsibilities are:
- to select candidates solely on merit;
- to select only people of good character;
- to have regard to the need to encourage applications from a wider range of candidates.
For further information about the specific requirements of the Constitutional Reform Act please see the information available in the Act.
Who we appoint
The judicial positions within our remit are listed in Schedule 14 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. We will eventually be responsible for appointing magistrates and General Commissioners of Income Tax.
We primarily select judicial office holders in England and Wales and on occasion make appointments in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scottish appointments are primarily made by The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and those in Northern Ireland by The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission.